For the past few months,
I have been playing the dickens out of a sweet little KT-88
integrated amplifier (The Sound Quest SQ-88) and its full function
brother CD player the SQ-12.

Those of you, who have
been following my exploits with Chinese-sourced audio, will recall
my description of one particular import scheme, where the importer
has pieces made to order in China, buys a bunch, and then vends them
under a house name. This describes the Sound Quest label.

My hypothesis was, and
remains, that while this import schema may be a bit more expensive
than some other methods, it offers greater security for the buyer. I
think greater care is taken because of the up-front investment, and
because the importer will bare the cost and problems with warranty
work.

So, understanding that
the US audiophile consumer still views Chinese-sourced equipment
with a jaundiced eye, I decided I would put the Sound Quest
components to the acid test; every-day use status, with no mercy, in
both audio and theater application, and see how they held up.

The Verdict?

The Sound Quest duo
performed flawlessly, which is more than I can say for a number of
other pieces in residence during this time (some you will read
about, some you won't). No burps, no rejected discs, no hiccups …turn
'em on, and they work, which those of you with experience with
tube equipment may appreciate even more.

The joke out there is that, whatever the
name of the Chinese imported tube amplifier, the name translates to
"fireball".

Well, I want to put that
(darkly amusing) slur to rest.

I don't know what more a
reasonable person could have expected from these two pieces, in
terms of reliability and functionality. They performed perfectly
throughout the review period.

Appearance

I am in favor of this
new trend with thick wood faceplates. The SQ duo is very natty in
appearance, with good fit and finish at this price point. They are
relatively heavily constructed and boast a pretty high WAF. Of
course, I am always in favor of losing the tube cages (well, except
for the clear WAVAC ones …damn, I still lust after that little WAVAC
SE integrated, but $4k? Whew). The SQ duo are very attractive, with
no trace of lumpy "industrial" appearance.

Sound

The 55-watt integrated
amp retails for $1579 (with remote and free "footers" and the CDP
for $1200 … (again, free remote and footers). I paired them mostly
with the superb ACI Sapphires ($1400), which seemed a reasonable
choice, and what I had available.

While the Sapphires are
not an inconsequential load for a smallish amplifier (55 watts), the
SQ-88 never balked or complained. I am sure I was clipping it at
times, but there was absolutely no miss-behavior, sonically or
otherwise. Driven very hard, it would simply defocus a bit.

The mix of these three
components is significantly to the warm and sweet side of the
neutrality scale.

I even threw the SQ-12
player into my main system (interestingly, it has balanced outs)
with a pair of Jena Labs interconnects that are more expensive than
the player itself (I wanted to hear precisely what it was doing) to
confirm my suspicions that the CDP is voiced for analog lovers …which it is.

With a noticeable push
out in the bass regions and a bit of softening at the top, this
engaging player makes for a rich and fatigue-free presentation.
There was the tiniest bit of hazing in the upper mid-range, but you
have to remember, this modestly priced CDP is fronting a gerzillion
dollars worth of high-end electronics, speakers and tweaking. I was
surprised by how well it held up. On the ACI's that tiny bit of haze
was not in evidence.

Combine this harmonic
warmth with the prototypical KT-88 punchiness and rhythmic
drive and no life is lost to the richer-than-neutral presentation.
Harmonic textures (which I often find to be a problem for equipment
at this price point) were very good, if again, somewhat to the ripe
side of the scale; bass was extended and surprisingly tuneful, if
not state-of-the art tight.

I found this additional
energy in the LF to allow for many more options in speaker placement
without the dreaded bass "suck-out". Getting the speakers away from
room boundaries really opened them up in this application, but
without sacrificing the low end. This would be a perfect combination
of source and integrated amplifier to address a dry and
hyper-detailed speaker. It would also be perfect for rooms, where
one has to use the mid-to near field listening position. The ACI's
are so absent any "beamy"ness, you can be in very close proximity to
them without distress.

As a system, the results
were very enjoyable, with most errors occurring in the "omissions"
category.

Assuming reasonable
interconnects, speaker cabling and stands, you could put a complete
system together here for a little north of five grand. It will be
reliable, very attractive visually, and hugely musical. Tuck one of
those terrific ACI subs in for HT, and I am not sure what else one
could ask.